N.C. State Highway Patrol Trooper M.D. Dodson has seen copious marijuana nuggets in his days pulling speeders to the shoulder. But the patrolman had never beheld contraband baked into Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispies Treats before – that was, not until, 11:24 a.m. Jan. 14. It was late on a Sunday morning, as Dodson watched Interstate 40 and I-85 traffic from a weigh station, near Mile Marker 157’s Buckhorn Road, when a white Hyundai sped past – doing 85 mph in a 65 mph zone. Dodson hit the lights and sirens and gave chase. The Hyundai headed east, in the fast lane, Dodson said. It slowed to 35 mph, Dodson said, before pulling over in a pursuit that lasted seven-tenths of a mile. Dodson approached the Hyundai on its passenger side. He motioned for the driver to roll down the window. “The smell was strong,” he said. “Yes. Very strong.” After asking the driver, Brandon C. Dodd of Greensboro, to produce his license and registration, the trooper spotted a “white trash bag in the console, between the seats, that looked like” it’d been torn, Dodson said, “Do you have any drugs in the car?” he asked. “He was very nervous and wouldn’t tell me nothing,” Dodson recalled. The trooper said he could see a mason jar full of marijuana and a brownie wrapped in a clear plastic which Dodd, per instruction, placed on the passenger seat. Dodson recalled asking Dodd, “‘Are there any weapons in the vehicle?’” “At that point, he got really, really nervous,” Dodson said, Dodd began to inch his hand – slow as a snail – toward his Hyundai’s glove box. Dodson did not move slowly, he said, but lunged for the glove box himself. “There was a gun, cocked with one in the chamber” in the glove box, Dodson said. The handgun was a “very old,” .9-caliber, Browning pistol which had been manufactured in Belgium, Dodson said, when Browning firearms were still manufactured in Belgium, around the midpoint of the 20th century. He placed the gun in the grass beside the interstate. He handcuffed Dodd later, transferred him to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Highway Patrol Trooper T. Hussey helped with the arrest and the transport of Dodd. The lawmen seized the Browning pistol, $480, a digital scale and approximately 8 pounds of marijuana-filled baked good which included Rice Krispies Treats, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and muffins. “I had never seen any edibles before,” Dodson said. “That was the first time.”

1/26/18

First, one package fell onto the interstate in Nebraska. Bags of marijuana followed.

Nebraska state troopers may be trained to detect drug trafficking, but it’s really not too difficult to spot when bags of marijuana are “literally FALLING ONTO” the interstate, the troopers posted on Twitter. The Nebraska State Patrol found 122 pounds of marijuana that were originally hidden in a trailer – but only after receiving a call from someone saying a package had fallen off a flatbed trailer while driving on I-80, according to a news release. The trailer was being pulled by an eastbound Dodge Ram. A trooper found the truck as another trooper found the fallen package at about 3 p.m. on Friday near Odessa. The troopers found marijuana inside the package and then conducted a search of the trailer. Troopers discovered a hidden compartment under the trailer with dozens of packages filled with marijuana.

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), a division of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), is now issuing Narcan to Troopers in an effort to save lives, a strategy by the agency to fight against the opioid epidemic. Naloxone, the life-saving drug commonly known by its brand name Narcan, can take just seconds to revive an overdose victim. “The FHP is part of a concerted, collaborative effort to combat the opioid crisis, which has a far-reaching impact,” said DHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “Safety for our Troopers and those we serve has been and always will be the department’s number one priority, and it’s critical that our members can safely perform their jobs to help prevent any unnecessary injuries or deaths in our state.” This week, Troopers in Broward, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River counties were the first members of FHP to be issued Narcan due to the increasing number of overdose deaths in those counties. Narcan will be issued to additional troopers throughout other areas of the state by the end of February. “FHP knows firsthand the seriousness of the opioid crisis and the department is taking the necessary steps to adapt our techniques and arm our Troopers with the tools that will ensure the safety of the public and FHP,” said Colonel Gene S. Spaulding, Director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “With the rise of deaths associated with the use of Fentanyl and Carfentanil, it is important to have this antidote available to our troopers, who are often the first to arrive on scene on Florida roadways.” The Narcan units will assist FHP members when they encounter an overdose situation while on patrol and help protect first responders who may be accidentally exposed and overcome by the effects of dangerous opioids. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid and is 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Extremely small doses of these drugs have been determined to be fatal, and even exposure from minor skin contact has been known to cause severe medical issues including death.

Louisiana State Police trooper hands out stickers to kids at lunch

LSP Trooper Carl Holiday spent his Sunday lunch giving back to some kids in the community. State police shared a photo sent to them by a viewer of Trooper Holiday visiting with her grandchildren during lunch in Baton Rouge. The post says that Holiday spent a few minutes talking with the two young kids, and handed out some junior trooper badge stickers. "Troopers always enjoy spending time visiting with children in our community!" the post read.

1/23/18

Texas Department of Public Safety graduates three new canine teams

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) today graduated three Troopers and three canines from an eight-week training program. These canine teams will join 42 other DPS teams stationed throughout Texas, including six explosive-detection teams stationed in Austin.“DPS canine teams are an integral part of the department’s efforts to detect and disrupt drug trafficking and other criminal activity that threaten the safety of our communities,” said Director Steven McCraw. “We are proud that these canine officers are officially joining our ranks, and we are confident that these expertly-trained teams will work together, following their instincts, to help make Texas a safer place.” Two of the dogs were obtained from the U.S. Department of Defense and one was donated – including a yellow Labrador Retriever, a German Shepherd and a Malaherd. The newly-trained canines will be used for drug detection. The new dogs and their duty stations are as follows (pictured left to right above): Netti (Dumas); Kelsey (San Antonio); and Loko (San Angelo). Three additional canines who also recently completed their training will replace retiring dogs in the DPS canine program.